Hotel Playa Canet

For anyone who likes nature and a peaceful setting, the location was the best part, and the cottage rooms were good. The staff were helpful too. With a rental car, Valencia center is just 30 minutes away, and the price was too good compared with hotels and apartments in Valencia.

I've been coming here since 2014, but after nearly five years away I found things had changed for the worse. Several things in the room didn't work: the refrigerator had to be replaced, the air conditioning was out and its remote needed replacing. The bedside lamps came apart when I tried to adjust them, and they weren't close enough to read by in bed. The bathroom used to have a shower and bath together and a bidet, but now there's only a walk-in shower and no bidet. The pool was a bigger issue. Nobody mentioned a problem at check-in. It looked fine, and I swam in it a few times. When I was leaving, I heard a manager complaining to staff about the pool and guests, then spotted a small sign behind the check-in desk saying in Spanish only that guests shouldn't use it because the water was dirty. That's pretty important information. The pool is one reason the hotel is relatively expensive, so this felt very dishonest. I think I should get some money back. The walls are paper thin. You hear every conversation from next door, even your neighbors peeing. It wasn't quiet at all. The restaurant food was poor too. I sent my pasta back because it was cold, then again because it had no flavor. To their credit, they didn't charge me. I won't be back.

Canet is a nice town, with a lovely beach and seafront. The hotel is opposite the marina, with sandy beach access and a handful of nearby seafront bars and restaurants. It looks more like a motel, but don't let that put you off. The rooms and facilities were as good as or better than other hotels we've stayed in, and free parking was great. Locals love the bar, which gives it a nice atmosphere. Our bedroom and bathroom were lovely, the bed was super comfortable, and there was a small private terrace with furniture. There are also a small outdoor pool and a tennis court. The breakfast buffet had a good mix of sweet and savory food, plus unlimited hot and cold drinks. We paid €65 including breakfast, which I thought was excellent value.

We had a nice lunch here, with local dishes rather than the kind of food you might know from the US. We followed the waiter's suggestions and everything was delicious. The paella was especially impressive. Apparently, in Valencia they make it with meat, and it really was excellent. Meals take a long time in Spain, so the serving time felt like what we'd had at other restaurants on the trip. I'd recommend the place.